A handstand is a coveted pose in yoga. It strengthens the arms and the core. It builds heat to keep the muscles warm and despite what the yogic texts warn about ego, it’s a great show-off pose. Heed the warnings, though, and learn balance safely on your hands.
Instructions
1. Use your arms properly. Come onto all fours in front of a wall and tuck your toes under at the molding. Place the knees under the hips, and the wrists under the shoulders. Spread your fingers. Press into the floor with your fingerprints, the long bones of your fingers and the knuckles just below the fingers. Apply more pressure to the index fingers and thumbs. Rotate your forearms internally as you rotate externally your upper arm bones. These complementary actions stabilize the wrist and shoulder joints, while stretching the tops of the arms. Imagine you have a mattress spring between your biceps and squeeze.
2. Practice an L-shaped handstand. From the all-fours position at the wall, lift your hips up while externally rotating the upper arms. You’ll be in a short downward dog. Lift your right leg and place the toes on the wall as high as your pelvis. Dig your hands into the floor and press the toes into the wall. Bring your shoulders over your wrists and lift the left leg next to the right leg. Straighten them both. You’ll be in an upside-down “L” and most likely, a little freaked out. Breathe. Before you crash down, soften your knees and step the feet to the floor. Rest in child’s pose.
3. Practice upside down. Do the mountain pose and lift the arms overhead. Extend the wrists so the palms face the ceiling. Continue to squeeze your imaginary mattress spring. From the lift of your chest, look up to your thumbs. Take 10 breaths.
4. Come into downward-facing dog facing a wall. Lift your right leg parallel to the floor. Lift and lower your hips as if someone’s slowly dribbling your pelvis. Maintaining your arm strength, use a little more oomph when you lift your hips to lift your left leg away from the floor. When the hips come over the shoulders, engage the left leg and lift it to the wall next to the right. Zip the legs together. Flex the feet. Send the tailbone and heels up to they sky. Breathe. Before you get tired, tip back to downward dog. Rest in child’s pose.
5. Once you're in a handstand, you'll want to strengthen the legs and the belly to soften the burden of the arms. Zip the legs together. Flex the feet. Send the tailbone and heels up to they sky. Breathe. Before you get tired, tip back to downward dog. Rest in child’s pose. Try kicking up with the other leg.
Tags: Breathe Before, child pose, Rest child, Rest child pose, your hips, back downward